Building lean muscle mass effectively involves a combination of high-density training and strategic supplementation like whey protein or creatine. Discover why women should lift weights for fat loss and how to maintain muscle while getting lean.
Powerlifting and strength training are two similar activities. Both systems try to increase the strength of the person doing them. Strength training routines focus on getting a person stronger in all areas of the body. Powerlifting routines only focus on getting stronger by doing three specific exercises.
Read more →
Many things contribute to muscular power, and even though muscle size is the most obvious, there are other factors that are even more important. Possibly the most critical is the central nervous system, which is responsible for the transmission of impulses to your muscles.
Read more →
Whether you're hoping to improve your self-defense skills, planning to join a local boxing gym or considering a professional martial arts career, punching power is key. Your coordination, balance, timing and ability to anticipate your opponent's moves play significant roles in the quality of your punches.
Read more →
It is normal to feel tired after lifting weights. Problems start to arise only when you begin to feel dizzy, nauseated or experience other unusual feelings shortly after an intense workout.
Read more →
Protein is an essential nutrient that your body needs to build muscle. This nutrient is vital for the repair, maintenance and growth of muscle in addition to other body functions. Natural foods are usually the most effective way to meet your daily nutrient protein requirements.
Read more →
Osteopenia -- a loss of bone mineral density that is not severe enough to be classified as osteoporosis -- can put you at risk for osteoporosis and increase your susceptibility to broken bones.
Read more →
Jumping rope helps to burn calories and keeps the lower body, arms and legs in shape. It uses many of the body’s muscles, so it doesn’t take long to build lean muscle. Jumping rope burns the same amount of calories as 30 minutes of running.
Read more →
Dopamine and serotonin are neurotransmitters in your brain that play a role in human behavior. Neurotransmitters transport nerve impulses between cells and help maintain a healthy brain and mood. Serotonin may play a role in relieving depression, reducing anxiety and decreasing sleep problems.
Read more →
Exercises consist of a joint movement against resistance in the form of weight, body weight or gravity. Isolation movements target one muscle group while compound movements work more than one. While the target muscle group contracts, opposing muscle groups stretch and relax.
Read more →
Your foot is a relatively small part of your body, but it contains close to 25 percent of all of your body's bones. Since your feet are responsible for bearing your weight and helping you move, breaking a bone can be very painful.
Read more →
Lactic acid, or lactate, is a substance produced in your muscles when you need to move quickly or engage in certain other types of physical exertion. The buildup of this substance triggers pain in active muscles and decreases your chances of causing long-term muscle damage.
Read more →
An upper thoracic hump is also known as kyphosis, or an abnormal curvature in the upper back causing it to appear rounded. The condition is also known as a dowager’s hump because it often occurs in older, postmenopausal women.
Read more →
Some men carry excess fat on their chest, giving them pointy pecs, or "man boobs." Flabby pecs detract from the chiseled, muscular appearance prized by many men. Reducing the size of pointy pecs requires a combination of dietary changes, strength training exercises and cardiovascular activity.
Read more →
While weight lifting provides the stimulus that elicits gains in muscle strength and size, the foods you eat are what fuel those developments. If you’re aggressive with your workouts, but don’t consume the right foods, you’ll significantly limit your size and strength gains.
Read more →
Testosterone is the primary muscle-building hormone in your body, and increasing your strength with a low level of testosterone can be challenging.
Read more →
If you are a female considering a bodybuilding regimen, it is important to understand you have a few physiological disadvantages compared to your male counterparts. You have much lower levels of the hormone testosterone than men, which makes it challenging to gain muscle.
Read more →
Building muscle and getting stronger does not mandate daily workouts. In fact, recovery is the crucial period of time where your muscle fibers actually repair and rebuild, helping you improve your muscle mass and strength. Taking time off between your workouts affords the rest you need after fatiguing your muscles.
Read more →
Weightlifting exercises such as the bench press and biceps curls put extra strain on your wrist. If you use improper form, too much weight or lift weights too frequently, you can experience wrist pain known as tendinitis. Tendinitis indicates the tendons that connect muscle to bone have become inflamed.
Read more →
There are any number of supplements that you can use in your quest to build muscle. But the most effective post-workout recovery drink is the one you make yourself.
Read more →
You can make large gains in muscle mass quickly by eating whole foods and using the compound lifts. The compound lifts are those that use multiple muscle groups such as the squat, deadlift, chin up, row, bench press and military press.
Read more →